Insulin therapy is a way to treat type 1 diabetes and in some cases type 2 diabetes. Each patient with such a pathology should adhere to the dose of the drug prescribed by the doctor. Sometimes such therapy causes a number of side effects. Every diabetic should know them. Complications of insulin therapy will be discussed later.
Diabetes Therapy
If a person is diagnosed with disorders in the field of carbohydrate metabolism, urgent measures are required. The leading method of treatment in this case is insulin therapy for diabetes mellitus. Complications can arise for various reasons.
However, there is no more effective way that could improve the quality of life for patients with type 1 disease. The introduction of insulin into the body allows you to ensure the normal condition of patients.
Insulin therapy is a method that is actively used to treat patients withtype 1 diabetes, as well as during the preparation of a patient with type 2 disease for surgery, in the event of certain diseases (for example, a cold).
Also, this technique is also used when hypoglycemic drugs are ineffective. They are prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes.
The presented therapy requires the correct calculation of the dose of insulin. For this, the patient takes a blood and urine test. Based on the result, the doctor calculates the daily amount of this drug. It is divided into 3-4 injections to be administered intramuscularly during the day.
After starting the drug, the doctor monitors the level of sugar in the patient's blood and urine. If necessary, adjustments are made. To do this, a person donates blood before each insulin injection (meal). It also collects urine in the morning, afternoon and night. With inappropriate doses of insulin therapy, complications can be serious. Therefore, the process of introducing the drug into the body is taken seriously.
Complications
Every person who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes should clearly know the principles of insulin therapy. Complications occur frequently. However, this is mostly the fault of the patient himself. It is especially difficult to get used to such a schedule of life at the beginning of the disease. But over time, this procedure becomes normal, natural for a person.
The hormone will need to be injected into the body throughout life. Its correct dose will avoid various complications. At the sugardiabetes can not be respite, rest from treatment. Insulin administration is always required. It must be remembered that with a number of violations, serious complications are possible. The main ones are:
- Veil before the eyes.
- Swelling of the legs.
- Lipohypertrophy.
- Lipoatrophy.
- The appearance of red itchy spots.
- Allergy.
- Abscess.
- Hypoglycemia.
- Weight gain.
Existing types of complications are caused by a number of reasons. It should be understood that insulin is a protein. It is not produced in the right amount in the body of a diabetic with type 1 disease. Therefore, it is constantly administered intramuscularly. Patients with a similar ailment are prescribed insulin of various origins. It can be animal or human.
It is worth remembering that the hormone insulin can be of different types. It has a different duration. Your daily routine is strictly adjusted to the intake of drugs. There is insulin homologous, heterologous and mixed. They are administered at different times, tying food intake to these manipulations.
Hypoglycemia
One of the possible complications of insulin therapy is hypoglycemia. This condition occurs due to an overdose of the hormone. In this case, the patient experiences an acute lack of carbohydrates in the body. Some time after the injection, blood sugar levels may drop sharply. This leads to the development of a hypoglycemic state.
If the patient used a long-acting agent, it may occur at the time of the maximum concentration of the substance. When taking a hormonefast-acting, this condition develops rapidly.
It is worth noting that this type of complication in insulin therapy, such as hypoglycemia, can occur not only due to taking the wrong dose of the hormone. After playing sports, physical exertion or emotional upheaval, it also often develops.
In people with diabetes, the first symptoms of this condition may occur at an indicator of 5.5 mmol / l. This is caused by a rapid drop in sugar levels. If the decline is slow, a person may not feel deviations in his he alth for a long time. At the same time, the level of glucose in the blood can smoothly drop to 2.7 mmol / l.
Every person with such a diagnosis should be aware of abnormal conditions for his body and complications of insulin therapy. The main symptoms of hypoglycemia are extreme hunger, palpitations, trembling of the extremities, and sweating. If the lack of carbohydrates increases, cramps will appear. The person may lose consciousness.
How to behave with hypoglycemia?
Prevention of complications of insulin therapy implies, first of all, familiarization with the causes of the appearance of various conditions and the fight against them.
If a person feels that his sugar level is going down, you need to eat a small amount of carbohydrate food. It can be 100 g of muffin, sweet tea or 3-4 pieces of refined sugar. Some people with this diagnosis always carry a candy bar in their purse or pocket. This is a common measure.a precaution that sometimes saves a life.
If there is no improvement after eating carbohydrate food, eat the same portion of sweets.
Otherwise, a person may go into a hypoglycemic coma. This will require the help of doctors. The ambulance team injects intravenously 60 ml of a solution (40%) of glucose. This allows you to stabilize the patient's condition. If there is no improvement, after 10 minutes the injection is repeated subcutaneously.
If a person lives in a remote area from the city, where an ambulance can travel more than 20 minutes, he should have everything necessary at home in case of a hypoglycemic coma. Relatives are required to take courses on the introduction of glucose intravenously. This is vital.
Hypoglycemia can lead to death if appropriate timely action is not taken. Especially often, such a violation occurs in elderly people who have ailments of the heart, blood vessels or brain. If the sugar level falls frequently, this will lead to the development of irreversible mental pathologies. Memory and intelligence are deteriorating.
Insulin resistance
One of the possible complications of insulin therapy is a decrease in the sensitivity of cells to the hormone. This condition occurs for a number of reasons. As a result, a person develops insulin resistance. In this case, the dose of the drug is increased. To compensate for the lack of a hormone, a dose of 100-200 units of insulin is required.
Similara deviation may occur due to a decrease in the number or affinity of receptors in the body. This condition is often the result of the production of antibodies to the hormone or to the receptors themselves.
Insulin resistance occurs, as a rule, due to the breakdown of the protein by certain enzymes or its binding by immune complexes.
Sensitivity to the drug may decrease with increased production of contra-insulin hormones.
To prescribe the right treatment, the doctor must find out the exact cause of this condition. During the diagnosis, signs of chronic infectious diseases (for example, sinusitis, cholecystitis, etc.) are eliminated. An analysis of the work of the endocrine glands is also carried out. The doctor will change the type of inulin. Sometimes therapy is supplemented with pills that help reduce sugar in the body.
It is important to correctly identify the cause of the complication of insulin therapy. The use of glucocorticoids is indicated in some cases. The daily dose of insulin is increased. At the same time, the patient takes prednisolone (1 mg/kg) for 10 days. After that, in accordance with the patient's condition, the dose of the drug is reduced.
In some cases, the doctor prescribes sulfated insulin to the patient. The substance does not react with antibodies, almost never causes allergies. It is necessary to correctly adjust the dose of this type of hormones.
Allergy
This is another complication that often occurs as a result of therapy. Allergies can be local and generalized.
In the second case, urticaria occurs on the face and neck. There may be nausea, erosion on the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes and mouth. Sometimes anaphylactic shock develops.
A local complication of insulin therapy is manifested by inflammation and itching in the injection area. Hardenings can also be defined here. A similar condition in most cases is caused by improper injection (the needle is blunt or thick, the agent is cold).
Such conditions require changing the type of insulin. You can change the manufacturer of the hormone or switch from an animal drug to a human one. An allergy is most often a reaction of the body not to a hormone, but to a preservative in its composition. The additional ingredients of the injection can be very different. Therefore, it is worth trying other types of insulin.
If it is impossible to replace the drug, a number of anti-allergy drugs are used. With mild forms of complications, "Hydrocortisone" is suitable. In severe cases, Calcium Chloride, Dimedrol, Suprastin, etc. are prescribed.
Lipodystrophy
Considering the complications of insulin therapy in children and adults, it is worth noting such a condition as lipodystrophy. It can be hypertrophic or atrophic.
In the second case, the pathology develops against the background of prolonged hypertrophy. Scientists do not know for certain the mechanisms of development of such conditions. Some of them believe that these deviations arise due to constant trauma to the nerves of the periphery and further local disorders of the neurotrophic type. Such violations may occur due to insufficiently cleaninsulin.
We need to switch to taking monocomponent formulations. In this case, negative manifestations are reduced. You also need to inject in the correct way.
Insulin resistance often develops against the background of lipodystrophy. If there is a predisposition to such conditions, you need to constantly change the injection site, clearly adhere to all the rules of insulin therapy. Also, the hormone in this case must be diluted in an equal amount with a solution (0.5%) of novocaine.
Veil before the eyes, itching, spots, abscess
Complications of insulin therapy can be very different. Sometimes people complain that because of the drug they have a veil before their eyes. This causes discomfort, it is difficult to read anything. This condition can cause great anxiety. This symptom is often confused with retinopathy (damage to the fundus).
But the veil is most often caused by the peculiarities of the refraction of the lens. This is how he reacts to taking the drug. The veil before the eyes appears in people who have recently started taking the hormone. After 2-3 weeks, this symptom will pass on its own. In no case should you stop giving injections when a similar symptom appears.
Feet may swell when taking insulin. This is also a temporary symptom that occurs in the first weeks of drug administration. Sodium and water are retained in the body due to the hormone. Gradually, the body will get used to the new conditions. The swelling will go away. For the same reason, blood pressure may increase at the beginning of therapy.
At the injection site, somepatients may develop itchy red spots. They cause great discomfort. In this case, the drug is mixed with hydrocortisone. Previously, some patients noted such a phenomenon when taking insulin as an abscess. Today, such a pathology practically does not occur.
Other deviations
There are other complications of insulin therapy. One of the unpleasant phenomena is rapid weight gain. Patients who take the hormone gain an average of 3-5 kg. It's quite normal. Taking insulin activates the process of lipogenesis (fat is formed under the skin). Also, the appetite may increase.
To keep the figure, you need to carefully select the diet. The frequency of food intake, its calorie content require control. Otherwise, it will negatively affect not only the figure, but also the general well-being. Various pathologies may appear, caused by a sharp weight gain.
It is also worth noting that taking insulin leads to a decrease in potassium in the blood. Therefore, patients with diabetes are shown a special diet. Berries, citrus fruits, herbs (especially parsley), vegetables (onions, cabbage, radishes) must be added to the menu. Responsible attitude to your daily routine, diet and the rules of insulin administration, you can reduce the adverse effects of therapy on the body.
Prevention
Every diabetic should know how to prevent complications of insulin therapy. You need to follow a number of simple rules. It is necessary to constantly monitor the level of glucose in the blood. This is done after meals. The indicators are fixed. At the same time, it is necessary to note whether there was a physicalor emotional stress. Diseases, especially those with fever or inflammation, should also be noted when recording the results of measuring sugar levels.
Insulin doses should be adjusted with your doctor. At the same time, they follow special diets. You can monitor your sugar levels with test strips. They are immersed in urine, and then the result is compared with the control field. A blood test is more accurate, but test strips are easier to use at home. You can buy a glucometer. It will allow you to get accurate results about the state of a person at a certain time of the day.
A diabetic must watch his body weight. Excess weight requires immediate correction.
By considering the possible complications of insulin therapy, you can determine their presence in the early stages. By adhering to clear rules for taking the drug, you can avoid various unpleasant situations in the future.
